Salvation
by paradeoflights
Summary: <html><head></head>Victoria had been the first person to arrive in the glade, and is the only girl. She's had to adapt to life in the glade and managing the group of gladers, with the help of Newt and Alby. But, trouble arises when Thomas is sent up into the box, and nothing is the same anymore. Not for her, him, or any of them. ( thomas x oc, slightly au )</html>
1. Chapter 1

Hi! I hope you guys will enjoy the story. I've spent a little time trying to get more written, and I'm really liking where it's going. It's slightly AU to the actual book, and no Teresa for this story, unfortunately. It's a Thomas/OC story, by the way. Reviews, favorites, and follows are always appreciated!

Disclaimer: I don't own the book/movie. Just Victoria.

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><p>Victoria still remembers her arrival in the glade to this day. A constant, vivid memory in the back of her mind. The box, being in there for hours in pitch darkness. Though, spending a month in the glade by herself had to of been the worst part. She never wanted any of this to happen. To any of them.<p>

_ The box lurched forward, sending her body scrambling back into the wooden crates. She shielded her head as one of them tipped over, barely missing her head, but managed to nick the side of her arm. She stared around, although she could see nothing. There were noises all around here. Breathing, it sounded like. But... maybe that was her own. She reached out, grabbing onto nothing, slamming her fist into the metal floor of the box in the process._

_ "Hey!" She yelled, her voice dry, feeling raw and sore. "Somebody help me!"_

_ She yelled, she screamed. It went on for hours, never getting a response, but she kept trying. At some point, her voice had gave out on her. Leaving her helpless, scared. She shook with anger, forming her tiny hands into fists. And, with one last effort, she climbed the crates. Carefully, making sure she didn't slip or knock any of them down. She slid her fingers through the holes of the metal ceiling of the box and gripped them tight._

_ She slowed her breathing, before giving one last effort. "GET ME OUT OF HERE!" She screamed._

_ Another harsh jolt and she was sent flying to the floor. Her back hit a hard edge, causing her to hiss in pain. She sunk to the floor, feeling her way around. She scooted into the small corner of the box, pulling her knees close to her chest. She tried to remember how she ended up here. But... nothing. Her mind was completely blank. She could only remember her name, or at least what she thought was her name._

_** Victoria**. It was odd, she thought. Only being able to remember her name, and none of it even felt right. Why couldn't she remember her birthday, or her parents names? Suddenly, she felt incredibly small. She was alone, she knew that. But, her mind was completely wiped and she had not even the slightest idea of where she was at, or where the box was taking her. She was terrified._

_ She closed her eyes for a moment, her eyes stinging with tears. The box was slowing down now, swaying, but barely. But, the box was still surely moving. Her stomach felt empty, her limbs felt like rubber, and the stench of the metal and oil burned her nose. Their were flashes of people, faces, they seemed familiar but it was all still distant. A guy, probably around the age of seventeen or sixteen; brown eyes and muddy brown hair, he stuck out the most to her. Constantly reappearing in the quick flashes, while everything else was like smudged paint and smeared colors. There were trees too, swing sets.. and water, maybe a beach? Suddenly she was bombarded with visions of nature, things that should seem familiar to her, but nothing did._

_ She couldn't even bare to think about how long she had been in the box. Hours, she knew. She had drifted off at some point, but never really getting any sleep with the constant rattling of the chains and pulleys. Suddenly, she felt something change. Not in the box or her surroundings, but herself._

_ She stood carefully, the box coming to a harsh halt. She stumbled slightly, but regained her balance. She didn't feel anything close to fear now. She felt.. curious, it was a very intense feeling that filled her all to suddenly. She looked around her, not doing much good with the box still being completely dark. A loud clank rang out from above her, and light filled the box._

_ She looked away instinctively, the light practically stabbing her eyes. She winced in pain, barely peaking out above her arms. She felt her way to the edge of the metal box, her eyes slowly adjusting. She stepped on top of one of the crates, her height not helping her much. She jumped, her feet barely lifting off the ground. She huffed in frustration, but jumped again. She made a noise of accomplishment as her fingers managed to grab ahold of the edge, allowing herself to pull her body out of the box. She rolled out and onto the grass, laying there for a second to steady her breathing. Fear settled in again, and Victoria didn't like that._

_ She glanced around, a massive, but completely empty field was laid out before her. She scrambled onto her back, pushing herself up with her arms, clumsily stumbling to her feet. She could practically hear the ringing in her ears, an eerie silence overcoming her. There was nothing, not a sound. Victoria knew that something very, very bad was about to happen._

She had just finished patching up one of the gladers when Gally had ran into the room, urging them to hurry out to the box. It was new arrival day, she knew that. But, she was never as chipper or happy as the others. They'd all hoot and holler around the glade all morning, and whatever boy-ish behavior was considered normal. Oh yeah, that part sucked too. A month after being alone in the glade, a new person was sent up. His name was Alby. At first, she hadn't really thought much about it, but month after month another guy was sent up into the glade. Never a girl, never any sort of help or map to get them out of here. It was practically routine now, new arrival day. And fortunately, she had grown close to most of the guys, so it wasn't as bad as she might have been making it out to be. But, being surrounded by guys all the time was more of a chore than a blessing for Victoria. That's why she was in charge, because without her, nothing would get done.

"Look at that shank!" She heard one of the guys yell as she sprinted toward the crowd of other gladers. She rolled her eyes and shot a look his way, sending him cowering away from her. She tapped Alby on the shoulder, and he smiled politely before returning his attention back to the box. Some of the guys had already started gathering supplies, but most of them were too interested in the new kid.

Gally leaped down into the box, grabbing the boy by his shirt collar. "Day one, greenie. Rise and shine."

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><p>Hi, hope you thought the first chapter was alright! The second chapter will be posted tomorrow, and I would love some feedback in the meantime. Reviews, favorites, and follows are always appreciated. Also, this story is posted on wattpad. So, follow me there:<strong> paradeoflights<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry for any rough spelling, I'm without a beta so it's possible I skipped over some stuff. Also, I'm really glad that I have some people that are already taking interest in the story! :) I would love some reviews, though. Just for feedback, you know? I wanna know if you guys are liking it so far.

Disclaimer: Don't own the book/movie. Just Vic.

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><p>Hands shot out from every direction, offering the kid help. Instead, the boy, who seemed strikingly familiar to her, made a run for it. He pushed Newt and Gally out of the way, nearly knocking them to their feet. She watched as he ran, fast, but clumsily. There was a point where one foot caught under the other and it sent him tumbling to the ground. Victoria winced as if she could just feel the pain, hearing the loud thud as he hit the ground. She watched as he stood, and turned around, observing the glade.<p>

"God, what a shank." Gally said, letting out a deep throaty chuckle. Victoria ducked her head, mumbling something to Alby.

"Shut your hole, Gally." He said, voice deep and firm.

"What? Can't say it on your own Vic?" Gally taunted. Her and Gally never set off on the right foot, and they were constantly going at each others throats over the smallest things, but they did manage to be civil sometimes. But, now wasn't one of those times.

Victoria held her head high, side glancing over at Gally. Instead of continuing to ignore him, she walked the opposite way, back to where some of the other medjacks were.

"Almost blew out your shank knee, greenie." One of the guys said. Victoria watched the new glader as he walked by them, Alby's hand a strong grip around his forearm. He nodded in the direction they were walking, signally for her to follow along.

Although Victoria was in charge of making the bigger, more important decisions, she often let Alby take the lead. No one ever took her seriously, which she learned fast. Her soft voice, and small frame didn't pose much of a threat to any of the other gladers. But, they all knew she was in charge, so they didn't dare mess with that. She nodded politely at the others before following behind Alby, closing the door behind them.

"Where am I?" The kid asked, his voice seemed rough, hoarse, like it had been through a lot while he was in the box. She knew the feeling, shuddering slightly at the thought.

"Nowhere good." Victoria replied, taking a seat against one of the poorly built tables in front of him. Alby stood behind him, arms crossed, the veins of his arms practically bulging out of his skin.

The other gladers were causing a commotion outside the door, cat calling and making snide comments. It was nothing new, but it was annoying. Victoria growled softly, pushing herself off the table and marching over to the door. It swung open, causing the them to stop dead in their tracks.

"Either you stop now, or I take care of it later." She told them, her voice calm, but strong. "And believe me, you're gonna wish I hadn't. So slim it!" She finished, slamming the door again.

She could tell by the look on the kid's face that he was a small bit amused, but he remained quiet. Meanwhile, Alby couldn't help but break a smile.

"What's going on?" He asked, she knew he was just as curious as the rest of them, so she could understand.

"You'll find out soon enough, I promise. But while we're here, and we still have some time- Alby will be showing you around. Listen to him, and anything he says. But only him, not the rest of the shanks." She told him, nodding in Alby's direction, and he nodded back.

"Take him to Chuck." She added quickly, before they had a chance to leave.

"Will do, boss." Alby replied, the smallest bit of sass in his voice.

Nighttime had rolled around fast, and everyone was getting ready for the bonfire. Victoria was still inside, helping out Frypan whenever he needed it, although he was very sensitive about who and how his food was touched. So, she stayed back most of the time.

"Alright." Frypan clapped his hands together, making a loud pop. "Everything finished. Help me bring the food out?"

"Course." Vic replied with a smile and a soft giggle, grabbing a few pans. They walked outside, heading toward the table where his food was usually set up during the daytime. The guys came running, practically pushing each other over.

"How's it goin', Vic?" Minho asked, startling her. He rubbed the top of her head and she wrinkled her nose, letting out a small laugh. "The new kid seems a little.. apprehensive." Victoria scoffed, shaking her head. Minho only laughed and grabbed his food before walking off.

Victoria grabbed her food when the group diminished, taking as much as she pleased before walking over to sit by the fire. She sat with her back against one of the logs, facing away from the fire. For a while, she sat alone, greeting the other gladers as they walked by, before Newt finally stopped in front of her, new kid in tow.

"Thought we could keep you company, for the meantime, I guess." Newt said, taking a seat beside her, and the kid taking a seat beside him.

"God." He groaned, rubbing a hand over his face, causing her and Newt to glance in his direction. Newt snorted a laugh, before passing him a drink.

"Here." Newt said, and he grabbed the glass from. "Put some hair on your chest."

It wasn't even seconds later that the kid was spitting and spraying the drink everywhere. Victoria couldn't contain her laugh, nearly choking on the piece of food in her mouth. Newt snatched the glass from his hands, not wanting the kid to spill anymore than he already had. Vic took the glass, allowing herself a sip. It slid down her throat with ease, as she had gotten used to the strong taste.

"God, what the hall? What is that?" He coughed repeatedly, holding his chest in pain.

"Gally's special recipe." Newt told him, smirking as he took another sip.

He groaned again, wiping him mouth with his the arm of his sleeve. She could hear the guys quieting down, although she knew it wasn't going to last long. She sighed, setting her empty plate to the side. There were loud groans coming from outside the walls, but it was something all the other gladers had grown to just ignore.

"What's out there?" He asked, resting his arms on his knees. Newt turned his body, point back at Minho.

"See him? He's a runner. Keeper of the runners, actually. And every morning they go out there in search of a way out." Newt explained, continuing to chug down the rest of the drink. "I'm sure Alby gave you the run down, am I right?" And he nodded in response. "Mostly."

"Enough of this talk." Victoria said, finally, standing up. "I'm gonna go have fun, since this is probably the only night that I'll get to do that, without being interrupted by you shanks."

Newt scoffed loudly, "Whatever, love." He singsonged, and Vic only laughed.

She found Alby easily, joking around with some of the other older gladers. She nudged his arm, and shot him a look. He nodded at her, and then his friends before walking off. She heard one of them whistle loudly, earning them the finger from her. "What's up?"

"Just wanna know how it went with the new kid." She answered, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Uh, he's curious.. definitely curious. Gally 'bout ran him down earlier. But, to be fair, he was getting pretty close to the walls. Other than that, it's all the same. Doesn't know anything, right now. Not even his name. You know how that is, though. We all get them at different times, so I give it a day." Alby told her, and Vic let it settle in, listing to him. Some kids wouldn't get their name for days, some as soon as they came up in the box.

"YEAH, GREENIE!" She heard the group of guys yell, drawing her attention that way. She covered her face with her hand, rubbing vigorously.

"Oh, no." she spoke softly, realizing that somehow the new kid got thrown in there with Gally. "Oh god, no." She couldn't have once calm night, it was impossible.

She watched as Gally slammed him into the ground, causing everyone to groan in pain. "What to do you think boys? Looks like a bit of a shank, don't ya think?" The boys yelled in unison, Gally laughing loudly. "Yeah, I think I'll just call you shank."

"Stop calling me that!" And somehow, Gally ended up on the grounded within seconds, and everyone was dead silent. She almost want to cheer the Greenie on, but she didn't condone this kind of crap, it was idiotic. Then Gally had him by the leg, and swept them out from under him, a painfully loud crack filling the silence.

"Thomas!" He yelled, "I remember my name." He pushed himself off the ground. "My name," He laughed, "It's Thomas."

"Thomas!" Alby cheered, pulling him into a hug, and everyone stared slapping Thomas on the back, congratulatory. Gally stood awkwardly to the side, waiting for the others to move away. Eventually, he walked up to Thomas. He held out his hand, shaking Thomas' firmly. "Thomas." Gally nodded, and Thomas did so in return.

Victoria broke out into a smile of her own, and it seemed Gally might've caught her because he pointed at her, sending a smug smirk her way. "Vic." He said, motioning her over. She lifted her head and walked his way, stopping between him and Thomas.

"As much as I kind of hate you, and as much as you hate me. I'm real glad it's you in charge, instead of some of these idiots." Gally chuckled, and Victoria tried to hide her own.

"I think you've had to much to drink." She joked, elbowing him softly. Everyone laughed with her, including Thomas. She glanced his way, catching Thomas staring down at her. She smiled in return, and he did so too, thought it was faint.

Another groan, the ear-piercing sound of metal sliding against metal startled everyone, causing Thomas to jerk his head toward the walls of the maze. "What the hell was that?"

"That, Thomas, was a griever." She said, simple and short. There was no room to explain, because he didn't need to know anything beyond that. He was already to curious, more than any of the others.

"Alright, I don't care if y'all are staying up. But, for the love of god, keep the noise down." She begged, looking directly at Gally and his group of friends. "Got it?" She asked, before heading off, back to one of the shacks.

She had finally started to get herself settled when she heard a knock on the door frame, she turned quickly, instantly relaxing when she saw Thomas. "Uh, hi." His voice was quiet, mostly to not wake the others that were sleeping. "Can I talk to you?"

Victoria shrugged, taking a seat in the hammock. "Sure, yeah." Thomas nodded, walking forward to take a seat next to her.

"I just wanna know what's going on." He sighed, resting his hands on either side of him. Victoria laugh flippantly, "Yeah, so would I."

"What?" He asked, looking at her. "I thought you were, like, in charge."

"Doesn't mean I know everything, Thomas. None of us do, and that's the problem. We only know what we've learned over the time we've been here. Just.. listen to what Alby told you, that's the only way you're gonna stay safe in here. It'll get easier, believe me." Victoria sighed, crossing her legs, both of them barely able to fit on the hammock.

"So.. Victoria, right?" He asked after a while, his voice seemed a little more at ease.

"Uh... yeah. Just Vic, though. Alright?" She chuckled, looking up at Thomas.

"Alright." He nodded, "Uh, I'll let you get to sleep then, I guess."

Victoria nodded thankfully, before fully laying down on the hammock, once he had moved.

"Goodnight." He said, his voice more distant now.

"Night, shank." And she heard the slightest bit of a laugh before his footsteps got quieter.

She didn't know why, but something seemed so familiar about Thomas. So.. comfy. Like, a piece of home to her. It wasn't like the feeling was extremely new to her, because she felt it with some of the others. But, it was stronger with Thomas, different. A good different? She didn't know. She pushed the thought aside for now, and urged herself to sleep.

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><p>Review, Review, Review, guys! :)<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

I'm glad to see that so many of you are liking the story so far. I love waking up to new notifications and alerts, showing that people are following and reviewing the story! It makes me so happy. :) Please keep reviewing and following the story, because I'll be writing tons more in the future, trust me.

Also, sorry for any grammar mistakes, I don't have a beta reader, so it's kinda rough, but I go through and check most of it.

Keep reviewing, though. Because I love the feedback and comments.

I felt like this chapter should've been longer, but I cut a couple scenes out because they didn't really fit. But, this story is really about to get going in the next chapter, trust me! ;) Also, do you guys like the whole Thomas/OC part of the story? I thought it was cool, since I don't see a ton of them.

Disclaimer: I do not own the book/movie. Just Victoria.

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><p><em>"Vic, don't do this." Thomas begged, squeezing her hand tightly. "You know better than I do that going in there, it's gonna change everything."<em>

_Victoria chewed at her bottom lip, fighting back the lump that was forming in her throat. She wanted to cry, she hated herself for letting them do this to her. She never pictured herself being in this position, and with someone she had trusted her life with. She was going to have to leave Thomas, forget every knowing him, and for what? They were always told that it was for the best, ever since the flare had spread, things were constantly screwing up. She just hoped that this would change everything for them. Not just her and Thomas._

_"I know. But.. someone has to go first. I don't want them forcing anyone to do it. I can handle it, it's only a month. We'll be fine." She told him, their eyes meeting. "We'll see each other soon."_

_Before Thomas could even get any words out, Victoria had pulled him into a hug, gripping onto him like she was falling and he was the only thing keeping her there. "I promise."_

_Thomas pulled away from her reluctantly, hands still intertwined with together. "Let the others know, once I'm gone." Thomas nodded silently._

_ Victoria pulled her hand away, before turning around. She grabbed onto the steel door handle, pulling the heavy door open. She took a step through; many adults in white lab coats were standing around, waiting. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes._

_ "Vic." Thomas said hesitantly, pulling her to him suddenly. His hand slid around the back of neck, rough and calloused from all the work they had put him though. But, she had always found comfort when he touched her, like a safety net. Their lips touched for a moment, making Victoria regret what she was doing for the umpteenth time. She kissed back fully, before pulling away quickly. She rested her forehead against his briefly._

_"I really hate you for doing that." She said, both of them sharing a sad laugh. She knew it wasn't an 'I love you' kiss, it was a 'I don't want to lose you, because I won't be able to get through this without you' kind of kiss. She could tell by the way he grabbed hold of her, desperately. They never left each others' side and this... this was overstepping it. She didn't have any idea what they were planning for them, and it terrified her. "I have to go." She told him, pulling away._

_She slid through the door, letting it shut softly behind her. She stared at the metal table set in front of her, covered with a thin white cloth, covering it. She took another deep breath, nodding to all of them. They took her by the arm, gently, guiding her to the table. She sat down, slowly lowering herself down until she was flat against the table. They hooked many different cables up to her; her arms, legs, even head. Before she could even feel it, they had slid a needle through on of the protruding veins in her hand. She could barely see as the ghastly black liquid slid through the tube and into her skin, her world blurring. Within seconds, she was comatose, left alone to battle herself in her own mind._

She gasped violently, shooting up from the hammock. She lost her grip and the flimsy material slid out from underneath her. She whined in pain, but tried to stay calm so she could steady her breathing.

"Bloody _hell_." Newt spoke groggily, rubbing at his eyes. "What had you so startled?"

"Nothing. Just a bad dream." Victoria said softly, allowing Newt to help her up. "Or memory, maybe."

Newt laughed lightly, helping her back into the hammock. Newt didn't seem to be a very heavy sleeper, as she would catch him up several times during the night, just wondering around. So, it didn't surprise her that he was there to help so suddenly.

"I'm sure we've all experienced them." He spoke lowly, hand resting against his hip. "The only real problem is differentiating them. Are they just bad dreams, or bad memories? Kinda bums ya' out that you'll never really know."

"You good?" He asked, and Victoria nodded silently. "Good."

"You know, the greenbean seems to be causing a lot of trouble. Stepped off on the wrong foot with Gally, too." Newt added, making conversation.

"Who isn't toe to toe with Gally half the time.? He's hot-headed, it's just something he needs to get over." Victoria replied, vaguely annoyed.

"And, I mean, he's just as curious as any of the rest of us." She told Newt, slipping on her shoes.

"No. He's... he tried to step past the walls. He got this close," Newt held his thumb and index fingers a small space apart, "To gettin' squashed between the walls."

Victoria looked at Newt quickly, eyes widen in disbelief. Why hadn't Alby told her any of this, or anyone, for that matter? "You're joking." She insisted, no one had ever been as reckless as Thomas was being, and on the first day.

"If Gally hadn't thrown the kid nearly halfway across the glade, he would've been a grievers next meal." Newt spoke quietly, leading the way out of the hut, avoiding waking the others.

Victoria sighed, frustrated. She didn't want to be bother with it now. So, she made her way to the kitchen, getting some things ready for the runners while they suited up. She met them down in the woods, near one of the clearings. Minho stood stoically, Ben and a few others surrounding him. She handed them a couple of bags, which they gladly accepted.

Ben was about to open his mouth, but Victoria stopped him before he could say anything. "Don't start with me this morning, Ben. I've already got enough to deal with. Besides, whatever you're gonna say, I probably already heard."

Ben shrugged, defeated. Minho signaled for them to make their way back to the glade, but he stayed behind with Victoria.

"Maybe you should talk some sense into the new kid. He's gonna end up getting himself killed, ya' know." He told her, drinking some of the water she had stuffed into the pack. Victoria sighed, crossing her arms over chest.

"So I've been told." She said bitterly, she quickly eased up, though. There were larger problems at hand, and she would just have to deal with this one small battle at a time. "I'm gonna talk to him later. Don't worry." She assured him.

"Good." He spoke briefly, and they walked in silence back to the glade.

Once they had reached the point they could see other gladers, they both separated. Minho going with the other runners, and her going off by herself.

She had a million thoughts going through her mind, ever since she had woken up. She couldn't shake the feeling she had about Thomas. She had only hoped it was a bad dream, because she couldn't handle having that kind of secret about herself, or him. But, ever since Thomas showed up, his face had felt so familiar. The connection was stronger with him, than any of the other gladers, and he had only been there a day. She had known Newt for almost three years, and they had formed a strong connection with each other, but it was like she had known Thomas for years.

She made her way over to Chuck, who was sitting next to Thomas in his own hammock, laughing brightly about something. It was refreshing seeing someone so happy, for a change. But, Chuck hadn't experienced any of the death before, and the fights. He was still one of the newest gladers, and one of the youngest.

"Hey, Chuck." She grinned, meeting his eyes, the kid only a few inches shorter than her.

"Hey!" He said happily, "I was just trying to help Thomas out a little, followin' Alby's orders."

"I know." She replied with a smile, before pointing at Thomas.

"Actually, do you mind if I talk to Thomas alone?" She asked, "Just for a couple of minutes."

"Sure." He agreed, seeming a little bummed as he shrugged his shoulders. He waved at them both before walking off toward another group of gladers across the field.

"What's up?" Thomas asked, his brows drawing together in confusion.

"What's up is that I heard you're already trying to get yourself killed." She spoke, bothered by how unaware he was about this.

"Whatever Alby told you, you were supposed to listen to that. We don't just tell you stuff to leave you curious. We do it to keep you to safe, Thomas." She told him, leaning against one of the weak beams of the poorly built shelter. She was surprised at how his name rolled of her tongue, it seemed to hit Thomas, as well. He stared at her intently, hands crossed in his lap.

"Just, please, do your part and mind your business." Thomas only shook his head, and stood up. Victoria took a small step back, hating the way he towered over her.

"You're the only girl I've seen here. Why?" His questions were beginning to tick Victoria off. "Do _you_ even know?"

She sighed, defeated. "I don't know why. Okay? I don't _care_ either. All I know, is that I want to keep these people safe, and if it means keeping secrets to do that or doing whatever I have to. I'm going to. And even you don't need me telling you that."

Thomas remained quiet, then. Stunned. Victoria was small, but she was strong-willed. She could fight her own battles, and defend herself. She was going to keep these guys safe, even if it meant getting herself hurt.

"I'll meet you at sundown, we can talk then... not like this." She told him, and he nodded, his eyes turning a warm, light brown. He smiled reassuringly, but it was still hesitant. She was trying her hardest to get him to coöperate with her and everyone else.

Hours after dinner had been served, the gladers eventually went their own ways, reeking havoc on their own. Victoria quickly made her way over to the hut farthest away from the center of the glade, where she knew Thomas was. She had stepped carefully over another glader who was already sound asleep, stopping at the hammock Thomas was asleep in. He turned uneasily, his face showing pain... or sadness, maybe. She couldn't quite tell, but she could feel it and she knew it wasn't good.

He woke up suddenly, gasping for air, just as she had done earlier that morning. She covered his mouth quickly, shushing him silently with her finger. He had gone pale, like he had seen a ghost. He let out a slow breath and Victoria removed her hand, but Thomas continued to stare at her. He was clearly startled, but she shook it off.

"Here," She held her hand out, "Follow me."

And he did, she had an easy grip on his wrist, leading the way to one of the walls surrounding the maze. He twisted his arm uneasily, his hand brushing against hers, causing him to still.

"Uh, sorry." He spoke for the first time since he had woke up, and Victoria shrugged.

She slid the knife from the holster around her thigh, holding it up. "No big deal."

Thomas took a step back, cautiously. She nodded toward the wall, grabbing his hand. "_Here_." She said, pressing the handle of the knife into his hand.

"I want you to write your name on the wall." She told him, and he stood there quietly, observing the wall.

"Why are some of the names crossed out?" He asked, but he sounded like he already knew the answer. He met her eyes, staring sadly into them.

She leaned against the wall, carving her nail against on the indented letters in the wall. "You know, being in here for so long... it doesn't come without some mistakes. Or accidents."

"We all protect each other, and they all died protecting each other. All of us. We're a family, Thomas." She spoke softly, looking down.

"You're a part of this now, Thomas. As much as you may hate some of us, we're _still_ going to protect you." Thomas nodded, bringing the knife to the wall, beginning to carve the first letter into the wall.

They had sat there for a while, in a comfortable silence, listening to all the others. They screamed and laughed, and it only made Victoria smile more.

"It's weird. I feel like I would hate anyone else who has done what you're doing. But, I don't." She sighed, picking absently mindedly at the grass. "I'm more frustrated than anything. Like, I know that you _know_ you shouldn't be, but you're doing it anyways."

Thomas didn't say anything, and it was bothering her. He was being so quiet, like he was afraid to say anything.

She took a slow breath, leaning her head against the wall. She turned to stare over at him, and he did the same. She brought her hand to her mouth, chewing gently at her thumb. She was thinking of what to say, or how to say what she wanted to. That she had been having dreams about him, or someone who she thought was him, and didn't know why he felt so familiar.

"I've had dreams about you before." She told him, suddenly regretting bringing up the subject so uncomfortably. "At least, I think it's you. It... it happened before you came here. Like, I would have these weird visions, and I swear I could see your face. When you showed up here, I was almost hesitant to talk to you. It's more of the reason I sent you with Alby."

She exhaled shakily, "They've gotten more frequent since you've gotten here... more stronger, I guess."

He cleared his throat, bring her out of her haze. "Before you, uh, before you came to get me earlier, you know, while I was asleep. I was dreaming about you, too. I think that's why I was so surprised when I saw you. Like... I _knew_ it was you in the dream. I didn't have to assume or guess. It _looked_ like you, sounded like you.. it felt so familiar to me."

"Does it mean something?" He asked, looking at her from where he was sitting, only a couple of inches away from her.

"Maybe. The others have had them before, and they tell me they've seen each other in them, different people, too. We started to assume some of them may be memories, of ya' know, _before_ this." Victoria spoke quietly, weakly. She felt the heat from Thomas radiating off of him and onto her, the warmth of his skin as it slid over her hand, squeezing it in his own.

"See, is doesn't feel like weird. It's actually kind of..._comforting_." Thomas said, but Victoria was the one without anything to say this time.

"Or.. sorry, is that weird?" Thomas asked, but didn't snatch his hand away.

"No. No." Victoria spoke suddenly, laughing softly. "I just, I don't feel like _this_ with a lot of the guys in here. I mean, I do feel closer with some of them. But, we have a connection, not like anything I have with the others. I don't know what do about it."

Thomas breathed heavily, their hands barely touching, but their fingertips where still pressed lightly against one another.

"Okay, we don't talk about this to anyone. alright? And, we've gotta _promise_ that if anything else happens, we got to tell each other. Even if it's just a dream, and you may swear it's just that. But, we tell each other." Thomas told her, his voice in a low whisper.

Victoria nodded, "Okay." She said, pulling her hand from his and standing up. She held her hand out, but he refused, standing up on his own.

She stood there, motionless, staring down at the few patches of grass that covered the dirt. "Promise me you won't cause anymore trouble."

She looked up to see Thomas staring back at her, unsure. "You know I can't. I can try... but-" Victoria stopped him, huffing softly.

"Goodnight, Thomas." She told him, shaking her head before turning the other way, forcing herself to walk away, leaving him standing there by himself.

But, truth is, she didnt' know what to do anymore.

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Next chapter should be up by Wednesday!


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